National Statistics
2008 (January - June)
Workplace Safety & Health
published by
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH COUNCIL
CONTENTS
Highlights 1
overview 3
Fatal Workplace injuries 6
Permanent Disablements 8
temporary Disablements 9
occupational Diseases 12
annex 14
list of charts and tables 15
1
HIGHLIGHTS
OVERALL WORKPLACE INJURIES
• In the first half of 2008, 5,236 workplace injuries (including fatalities) were reported.
This is an increase of 338 cases or 6.9% compared to the same period last year. Of these, 334 were temporary disablement cases, mainly from construction, ship building and ship repair, transport and storage, and hotel sectors.
WORKPLACE FATALITIES
• There were 26 fatal accidents in the first half of 2008, similar to the corresponding period last year. However, with some of the accidents claiming multiple victims, the overall number of workplace fatalities hit 32, up from the 28 recorded the previous year. The overall fatality rate, at the half-year mark, was 1.5 deaths per 100, 000 persons employed, up from 1.3 a year ago.
• Construction, ship building and ship repair sectors were the main contributors to workplace fatalities. These sectors, currently experiencing a boom, have to do more to enhance their safety practices and systems in view of the potential increase in workload and entry of new employees.
• Water supply, sewerage and waste management as well as the transport and storage sectors saw four fatalities, up from two last year. Companies in these sectors need to pay greater attention to workplace safety and health.
• In terms of accident types, being struck by falling objects was the primary cause of fatal accidents at the work place. Fires and being struck by transport vehicles were the next most common cause of accidents. Fires can potentially lead to multiple victims and has been identified as an area that will be the focus of national efforts this year
1. Similarly, being struck by transport vehicles is also an emerging area of concern
2.
1
Both the WSH council and the Ministry of Manpower have initiated efforts to educate the industry in preventing fires and explosions, especially in the use of flammable and hazardous substances, which is a Programme-based Engagement (ProBE) area announced in March 2008.
2
This is a focus area for the work by the WSH Council Logistics and Transportation Committee set up in April this year.
NatioNal StatiSticS
3
WOrkPLACE SAFETy And HEALTH 2008 (jAnUAry - jUnE)
2
PERMANENT DISABLEMENTS
• In the first half of 2008, 61 workers sustained permanent injuries, down from 71 last year. The complete loss or loss of the use of upper limbs made up 97% of the permanent disablements, most of these involved hands or fingers caught between objects.
TEMPORARY DISABLEMENTS
• Temporary disablements went up by 7.2% in the first half of 2008. Construction and ship building and ship repair sectors saw a 16% rise in temporary work injuries. The increase in work activities in the two sectors signals a clear need for both sectors to put in more effort to meet the challenges of an increased workload.
• Hotels and the transport and storage sectors saw a higher number of temporary disablements reported, with increases of 63% and 22% respectively.
• For construction, ship building and ship repair and manufacturing sectors, around 40- 50% of the temporary work injuries were due to being struck by falling objects, caught in or between objects and falling from height.
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
• This year, 237 noise-induced deafness (nId) cases were reported, up from 149 cases in the same reporting period last year. The cases predominantly came from the air transport and supporting services, as well as the manufacturing sector. In 99% of these cases, the disease was in the early stages, with only 1% in the advanced stage.
• The early detection and the increase in the number of nId cases was mainly due to the increased awareness created by the NiD Prevention Programme
3launched last year. Such early detection allows for focused efforts on these identified workplaces to improve their management of noise exposure and to develop more effective hearing conservation programmes. Those in the early stages of nId will benefit from the better management by preventing further deterioration of their condition.
OVERVIEW
• Preliminary statistics reveal that 5,236 workplace injuries
4(including fatalities) were reported
5in the first half of 2008, a 6.9% rise from the previous year (Table 1). Less severe workplace injuries (i.e. temporary disablements) contributed to the bulk of the increase, mainly from the construction, ship building and ship repair, transport and storage, and the hotel sectors.
• There were 26 fatal accidents in the first half of 2008, similar to the january to june period a year ago. However, with some of the accidents claiming multiple victims, the number of workplace fatalities hit 32 in the first six months of 2008, up from 28 in the previous year (Table 1). The overall fatality rate, at the half-year mark, was 1.5 deaths per 100, 000 persons employed, up from 1.3 a year ago (Table 2).
• Permanent disablements saw a drop in numbers from 71 cases in the first half of 2007, to 61 in 2008.
• The number of occupational diseases (Od)
6increased from187 cases in the first half of 2007 to 290 cases in the same period this year. As at end june 2008, there were 13.3 confirmed cases of Od per 100, 000 persons employed, compared to 8.6 in the previous year. The increase was largely due to the jump in the number of noise- induced deafness (nId) cases. The early detection of nId cases was mainly due to the increased awareness created by the NiD Prevention Programme
7launched last year.
Early detection allowed for focused efforts at identified workplaces to improve their management of noise exposure and develop more effective hearing conservation programmes.
3
Please refer to the WSH Council website at www.wshc.gov.sg for more information on this programme.
4
A workplace injury is any personal injury, disease (acute) or death resulting from a workplace accident. Please refer to the annex for the types of workplace injuries covered.
5
Workplaces have to report work incidents to the Ministry of Manpower, a requirement under the WSH (Incident reporting) regulations.
6
An occupational disease is a disease (chronic) contracted as a result of an exposure over a period of time to risk factors arising from work activity. A confirmed case of occupational disease is one where there is definite evidence that the worker suffers from a disease which is related to his occupation.
7
Please refer to the WSH Council website at www.wshc.gov.sg for more information on this programme.
Industry As at end June 2007
2008 2007
All Sectors 1.0 0.9 1.9
construction 1.7 1.5 3.0
Shipbuilding and Ship repair (SSr) 0.8 0.7 1.3
Manufacturing (excluding SSr) 1.2 1.2 2.6
Six New Sectors under WSH act
110.9 0.9 1.7
Other Sectors (excluding six new sectors) 0.7 0.6 1.3
5 4
11
From 1 March 2008, the coverage of the Workplace Safety and Health Act (WSHA) was expanded to include the following sectors :
• Water supply, sewerage and waste management • Hotels and restaurants
• Health activities
• Services allied to transport of goods • Veterinary activities
• Landscape care and maintenance service activities
12
Accident Severity rate (AFr) = no. of Mandays Lost To Workplace Accidents x 1,000, 000
no. of Man-hours Worked
Table 1 : Number of Workplace Injuries and Occupational Diseases, 2007 and 2008
PTable 2 : Workplace Injury Rate and Occupational Disease Incidence, 2007 and 2008
PJanuary – June 2007
2008 2007
Overall Workplace Injuries 5,236 4,896 10,018
Fatal 32 28 63
Permanent Disablement 61 71 163
temporary Disablement 5,143 4,797 9,792
Occupational Diseases 290 187 602
As at end June 2007
2008 2007
Overall Workplace Injury Rate
8241 225 460
Fatal 1.5 1.3 2.9
Permanent Disablement 2.8 3.3 7.5
temporary Disablement 236 220 450
Occupational Disease Incidence
913.3 8.6 27.7
2008
P: 2008 figures are preliminary
2008
P: 2008 figures are preliminary
Per 100, 000 Employed Persons
• The accident frequency rate
10(AFr), which measures how frequently workplace accidents happen, averaged 1.0 accident per million man-hours worked in the first half of 2008, marginally higher than the 0.9 a year ago (Table 3). Sectors with AFr higher than that in last june were construction and ship building and ship repair. For other sectors, the combined AFr was slightly higher as compared to the previous year due to comparatively more frequent occurrence of accidents in sub-sectors like air transport and supporting services this year.
Table 3 : Accident Frequency Rate in Major Sectors, 2007 and 2008
PTable 4 : Accident Severity Rate in Major Sectors, 2007/8
P2008
P: 2008 figures are preliminary
• The overall accident severity rate
12(ASr) was marginally higher than that in last june, where 56 man-days were lost to workplace accidents for every million man-hours worked. At the sectoral level, there was a significant jump in ASr for ship building and ship repair and construction due to more fatalities in the sectors as compared to last year. Similarly, with more fatalities in the six new sectors covered under WSH Act, the combined ASr worsened in the first half of 2008. For every million man-hours worked, 56 man-days were lost to workplace accidents as compared to 36 as at end-june last year (Table 4).
2008
P: 2008 figures are preliminary
Industry As at end June 2007
2008 2007
All Sectors 56 54 116
construction 112 95 257
Shipbuilding and Ship repair (SSr) 129 65 180
Manufacturing (excluding SSr) 45 90 148
Six New Sectors under WSH act 56 36 55
Other Sectors (excluding six new sectors) 32 26 60
8
Workplace Injury rate = no. of Fatal and non-Fatal Workplace Injuries x 100, 000 no. of Employed Persons
9
Occupational disease Incidence = no. of Occupational diseases (i.e. chronic confirmed cases) x 100, 000 no. of Employed Persons
10
Accident Frequency rate (AFr) = no. of Workplace Accidents reported x 1,000, 000 no. of Man-hours worked
Per million man-hours worked
Man-days Lost Per million man-hours worked
FATAL WORKPLACE INJURIES
• The first half of 2008 saw the same number of fatal accidents as the first half of 2007.
However, more lives were lost in the workplace as some of the fatal accidents that occurred involved more than one victim (Table 5 and 6). The multiple-victim accidents were from :
- Construction, involving a tower crane collapse (three fatalities in the same accident)
- Ship building and ship repair, involving • A fire (three fatalities in the same accident)
• Oxygen deficiency leading to asphyxiation (two fatalities in same accident) - Water supply, sewerage and waste management
13– one of the six new sectors under WSH Act - victims were struck by transport vehicles (two fatalities in one accident, victims were struck by transport vehicles).
• all sectors except manufacturing recorded an increase in workplace fatalities over the six-month period in 2008. Construction continued to see the highest number of workplace fatalities, accounting for 10 out of the 30 reported fatalities, up from eight last year. Ship building and ship repair and the six new sectors under WSH Act saw at least a two-fold jump in fatality numbers compared to the previous year. Within the cluster of the six new sectors, all fatalities came from water supply, sewerage and waste management. In the case of others sectors, the main contributor to the fatalities was transport and storage
14.
• For manufacturing, fatality numbers dropped as its sub-sector, metalworking (which traditionally accounted for the largest share of fatalities) recorded substantially fewer deaths in the first half of 2008 (Table 5).
NatioNal StatiSticS
7 6 13
One of the six new factors under WSH act.
14
This excludes services allied to transport of goods.
TABLE 5 : NUMBER OF WORKPLACE FATALITIES BY INDUSTRY, 2007 AND 2008
PIndustry January – June 2007
2008 2007
All Sectors 32 (26) 28 (26) 63 (59)
Construction 10 8 24
Shipbuilding and Ship Repair (SSR) 7 3 9
Manufacturing (excluding SSR) 4 11 16
Metalworking 1 6 8
Petrochemical 2 4 4
non-metallic Mineral Products 1 1 1
Six New Sectors under WSH Act 4 2 2
Water Supply, Sewerage and Waste
Management 4 1 1
Other Sectors (excluding six new sectors) 7 4 12
2008
P:2008 figures are preliminary Figures in parenthesis refer to the number of fatal accidents
• Struck by falling objects topped the list as the most common accident type, leading to seven workplace fatalities over the six-month period. So far, one out of two construction deaths were associated with such accidents. The next most common accident type was being struck by transport vehicles, which mainly occurred in the storage and warehousing and water supply, sewerage and waste management sectors.
• Fires and explosions continued to be an area of concern. For the whole of 2007, five workers succumbed to severe burn injuries in such accidents. In the first half of this year, there were five fatalities from three accidents.
TABLE 6 : NUMBER OF WORKPLACE FATALITIES BY TYPE OF ACCIDENT, JAN-JUN 2008
PTotal Construction Shipbuilding
and Ship Repair Manufacturing Six New Sectors under WSHA
Others Sectors
Total 32 10 7 4 4 7
Struck by Falling objects 7 4 1 2 - 0
Struck by Transport Vehicles
(including prime movers) 6 - - - 3 3
Fires and Explosion 5 - 3
(due to fire) 1
(due to explosion) 1
(due to fire) -
collapse of tower crane 3 3 - - - -
Falls from Height 3 1 - 1 - 1
caught in/between objects 3 1 - - - 2
Oxygen deficiency 2 - 2 - - -
Fall on the Same level 1 - - - - 1
Drowning 1 - 1 - - -
Electrocution 1 1 - - - -
2008
P: 2008 figures are preliminary
WOrkPLACE SAFETy And HEALTH 2008 (jAnUAry - jUnE)
9 8
PERMANENT DISABLEMENTS
• Permanent disablements refer to non-fatal injuries which are more severe in nature, involving the complete loss or loss of use of any member/part of a member of the injured victim’s body (e.g. the amputation of an arm, a finger or the bone of a finger).
• In the first half of 2008, 61 workers reported sustaining permanent injuries, down from 71 in the same period last year (Table 7). The complete loss or loss of the use of upper limbs made up 97% of the permanent disablement cases, most of these involved hands or fingers caught between objects. In some instances, the victims were struck by sharps or falling objects. All these accidents (including those related to lower limbs) had resulted in the loss of about 11,400 man-days over a period of six months.
TEMPORARY DISABLEMENTS
• Temporary disablement cases went up by 7.2% in the first half of 2008 (Table 8).
Construction and ship building and ship repair saw a 16% rise in temporary work injury.
this coincides with the increase in work activities in the two sectors
15. Hotels and the transport and storage sector (excluding services allied to transport of goods) also recorded significant increases by 63% and 22% respectively. Manufacturing, however, saw a 5% decline in temporary disablement cases. On a positive note, this sector has also recorded fewer fatalities and permanent disablement cases in 2008.
• Manufacturing, the largest contributor for permanent disablements, saw 11 fewer cases as compared to the same period a year ago. Its sub-sector metalworking, which traditionally accounts for around half of the cases reported, had posted a drop in numbers. Ship building and ship repair, however, saw a rise in permanent disablement cases, from five victims in the first half of 2007 to 10 in 2008.
TABLE 7 : NUMBER OF PERMANENT DISABLEMENTS BY INDUSTRY, 2007 AND 2008
PIndustry January – June 2007
2008 2007
All Sectors 61 71 163
Construction 14 17 35
Shipbuilding and Ship Repair (SSR) 10 5 18
Manufacturing (excluding SSR) 24 35 72
Metalworking 11 17 30
Manufacture of Food Products 4 4 11
Manufacture of Furniture 4 3 8
Six New Sectors under WSH Act - 3 7
Other Sectors 13 11 31
Wholesale and Retail trade 2 2 3
transport and Storage 4 2 7
2008
P: 2008 figures are preliminary
TABLE 8 : NUMBER OF TEMPORARY DISABLEMENTS, 2007 AND 2008
PIndustry January – June 2007
2008 2007
All Sectors 5,143 4,797 9,792
Construction 1,328 1,146 2,401
Shipbuilding and Ship Repair (SSR) 276 238 463
Manufacturing (excluding SSR) 1,299 1,368 2,809
Metalworking 585 624 1,296
Manufacture of Food Products and Beverages 152 151 313
Six New Sectors under WSH Act 492 490 953
Water Supply, Sewerage and Waste
Management 31 20 41
Hotels and Restaurants 342 351 693
Hotels 150 92 230
Restaurants 192 259 463
Health activities 87 89 161
Services allied to transport of Goods 28 22 48
landscape care and Maintenance Service
activities 3 7 9
Other Sectors 1,748 1,555 3,166
Wholesale and Retail trade 200 199 422
transport and Storage
(excluding services allied to transport of
goods) 304 249 537
2008
P: 2008 figures are preliminary
15
According to the latest statistics released by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), the construction sector continued
to register a healthy growth rate at 17.4% in the 2nd quarter of 2008. Besides, the certified payment (which measures the
amount of work completed in the construction sector) also went up by 32%. The latest manpower data also revealed that
construction jobs grew by 36,600 in the first half of 2008, more than double as compared to a year ago. Similarly, the marine
and offshore engineering segment maintained its strong performance, expanding by 19 per cent in the second quarter of
2008, due to an increase in shipbuilding and ship repair activities.
Industry Top 3 Accident Types
1
st2
nd3
rdAll Sectors SBFO CIBO FFH
Construction SBFO FFH CIBO
Shipbuilding and Ship Repair (SSR) SBFO CIBO FFH
Manufacturing (excluding SSR) CIBO SBFO CSBO
Metalworking ciBo SBFo SBo
Manufacture of Food Products ciBo St cSBo
Six New Sectors under WSH Act
16ST FFH SBFO
Water Supply, Sewerage and Waste
Management SBFo FFH ciBo
Hotels and Restaurants St cSBo cWHS
Health activities St ciBo OESM
Services allied to transport of Goods FFH St Sao
landscape care and Maintenance Services
activities St ciBo FFH
Other Sectors ST FFH SBFO
Wholesale and Retail trade FFH SBFo St
transport and Storage SBFo FFH SBo
NatioNal StatiSticS
11 10
• the top three accident types leading to temporary disablements in various sectors are listed in Table 9. For construction, ship building and ship repair and manufacturing, around 40-50% of the temporary work injuries were due to:
- Struck by falling objects (SBFO) - Caught in or between objects (CIBO) - Falls from height (FFH)
• Struck by falling objects was the most prevalent accident type for construction and ship building and ship repair. Workers employed in these sectors are generally at higher risk from falling objects as their work frequently requires them to work beneath scaffolds, cranes or areas where other forms of overhead work are performed. Being struck by falling objects was also responsible for the most number of fatalities so far, overtaking falls from height as the top killer in the workplace.
• the top three accident types was relatively varied for the six new sectors under WSH Act and other sectors, reflecting the heterogeneity of work activities carried out in these sectors. For instance, the following areas would be more of a concern to the hotels and restaurants sector
- Slips and trips
- cuts or stabbed by objects
- contact with hot substances or objects
Wet kitchen floors due to the lack of proper housekeeping and the need to come into contact with sharp tools, hot liquids or utensils while preparing food, are working conditions that increase the likelihood of getting injured at work in this sector.
TABLE 9 : TOP THREE ACCIDENT TYPES FOR TEMPORARY DISABLEMENTS BY INDUSTRY, 2008
P2008
p: 2008 figures are preliminary
16
The number of workplace injuries reported by the Veterinary Activities sector was negligible WOrkPLACE SAFETy And HEALTH 2008 (jAnUAry - jUnE)
Legend :
CIBO : caught in/between objects FFH : Falls from Height SBFO : Struck by Falling objects SBO : Struck by objects
SAO : Strike against objects ST : Slips and trips
CWHS : contact with Hot Substances CSBO : cut or Stabbed by objects
OESM : Over-exertion and Strenuous Movements
13 12
TABLE 10 : NUMBER OF OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES BY INDUSTRY, 2007 AND 2008
POCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
• In the first half of 2008, 290 cases of occupational diseases (Od) were confirmed, up from 187 in the same period last year. Overall Od incidence stood at 13.3 cases per 100,000 persons employed as compared to 8.6 cases as at end-june last year. This increase was largely due to more noise-induced deafness (nId) cases reported. The NiD Prevention Programme contributed to a rise in awareness and increased reporting of nId cases. As 99% of the cases detected were in the early stages of nId, efforts taken to improve noise management at these workplaces will help to prevent further deterioration of the workers’ condition. These workplaces are mainly in air transport and supporting services and manufacturing (Table 10).
• Manufacturing continued to lead with the highest number of Od cases, accounting for a 50% share. More than three-quarters (78%) of the Ods confirmed in this sector, specifically the nId, were from the metalworking and transport equipment sub-sectors.
From january to june 2008, the number of Ods confirmed in metalworking was almost twice that in the same period last year. As for the six new sectors under the WSH Act, they saw a drop in numbers.
Industry January – June 2007
2008 2007
All Sectors 290 187 602
Construction 21 15 45
Shipbuilding and Ship Repair (SSR) 34 15 33
Manufacturing (excluding SSR) 144 120 359
Metalworking 82 45 179
Manufacture of Transport Equipment 30 33 63
Six New Sectors under WSH Act 9 16 39
Water Supply, Sewerage and Waste
Management 2 12 16
Hotels and Restaurants 6 2 6
Health activities 1 2 8
Others 82 22 126
air transport and Supporting Services 50 1 58
2008
P: 2008 figures are preliminary
• nId, which typically made up fourth-fifths (or 81%) of the Ods confirmed, saw 1.5 times more cases confirmed in 2008 compared to the corresponding period last year
(Chart 1). Occupational skin disease, the second most common Od, saw an increase of five cases from 27 last year to 32 in 2008.
• There were more chemical-related Ods in the first half of 2008. So far, six cases of chemical poisoning and three cases of chemical absorption were confirmed. There were no chemical poisoning cases in 2007. Last year saw three cases of excessive chemical absorption.
CHART 1 : DISTRIBUTION OF OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES BY TYPE, 2007 AND 2008
Pnoise-induced Deafness
(nId) total
occupational Skin Diseases
chemical Poisoning
Barotrauma
others Excessive absorption of
chemicals
Work-related Musculoskeletal
Disorders occupational lung Diseases
compressed air illness
2008 2007
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 600 500 400 300 200 100 0
237 290
32
3
6
1
3
4
3
1
490
602 187
149 59 27 3 3
2
2
2 3
3
3 1
17
25
2007 jan-jun
2007 2008
jan-jun
NatioNal StatiSticS
15 14
ANNEx
SOURCE OF DATA
Data on workplace injuries and occupational diseases are collected from incident reports made by employers, occupiers and medical practitioners in the fulfilment of their obligations under the Factories Act and Workplace Safety and Health (Incident reporting) regulations.
DATA COVERAGE
the types of workplace injuries and occupational diseases covered in the reported statistics include the following:
• Workplace injuries sustained by employees and resulting in more than three consecutive days of medical leave;
• Workplace injuries sustained by employees and resulting in at least 24 hours of hospitalisation;
• Workplace accidents resulting in the death of employees, self-employed persons and persons not at work;
• Workplace accidents resulting in the injury of self-employed persons and persons not at work who have to be taken to the hospital for treatment;
• dangerous occurrences listed in the Second Schedule of the Workplace Safety and Health act; and
• Occupational diseases listed in the Third Schedule of the Workplace Safety and Health Act.
WOrkPLACE SAFETy And HEALTH 2008 (jAnUAry - jUnE)
LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES
Charts
Chart 1: distribution of Occupational diseases by Type, 2007 and 2008
P13
Tables
Table 1: number of Workplace Injuries and Occupational diseases, 2007 and 2008
P4
Table 2: Workplace Injury rate and Occupational disease Incidence, 2007 and 2008
P4
Table 3: Accident Frequency rate in Major Sectors, 2007 and 2008
P5
Table 4: Accident Severity rate in Major Sectors, 2007/8
P5
Table 5: number of Workplace Fatalities by Industry, 2007 and 2008
P6
Table 6: number of Workplace Fatalities by Type of Accident, jan-jun 2008
P7
Table 7: number of Permanent disablements by Industry, 2007 and 2008
P8
Table 8: number of Temporary disablements, 2007 and 2008
P9
Table 9: Top Three Accident Types for Temporary disablements by Industry, 2008
P11
Table 10: number of Occupational diseases by Industry, 2007 and 2008
P12
16